The ones who make me proud!

As I sit here, passion- and drive-less, stressing every other day about setting up new home, and falling violently sick on the days in between, my friends are out there reaching dizzying heights of success. So this post is about and for those in my life who make me proud.

Disclaimer: Not that the others in my life *don’t* make me proud, but these are big and I want to write about them now.

I’ll start with my oldest friend on this list. I met her when I was all of six years old and my earliest memory of her is the gesture of friendship—sticking her thumb out at me while sucking the middle and ring fingers of the other hand (a peculiar habit she had that took forever to get rid of). My childhood bestie, with whom I’ve been friends with for over 20 years now, Sulagna Ghosh aka Suli, is an entrepreneur and upcoming designer. Her store, Sienna, is one of the prettiest ones around, where you will find clothes, pottery, decorative items and myriad other kitschy things which reflect the kind of person Suli is. She’s recently also designed her first collection of fusion wear, which is to-die-for (There’s a romper somewhere in that store with my name on it). Go to her store in Kolkata and buy stuff – NOW!

Next up is my college bestie, who I also happened to be married to—Rochelle Pinto. Madam (who is the husband in this equation) is now famous. Being a fashion journalist and a brilliant writer for years now, she recently launched her very-own, first-ever book! She co-authored a book with Kareena Kapoor Khan called the Style Diary of a Bollywood Diva, which I have completed. Rochelle has a signature style which is, however, never repetitive—a unique talent. And the best part of the book is that even though you can recognise her style, reading it feels like Kareena is talking to you. It’s a pretty book too—it’s pink! My favourite part—asking Roch for her autograph on the day of the launch in front of KKK :D Read the book, ladies; you’re bound to find some interesting tips in there for the long haul.

If you’re a meat-loving foodie, look no further and head straight to Between Breads in Bandra. This new fun, quirky and yummilicious burger and sandwich joint has been started by my enterprising college friend Reuben Borah and his equally enterprising partners, Paresh Chhabria and Ayank Verma. I promise you, you will be not be disappointed. The lucky friends aka us, had the good fortune of going for a tasting. We quickly returned and gladly paid for our spoils and have been in a food coma ever since. Beef, ham, bacon, chicken; even the veggie burgers taste good. The lemonades have an interesting twist; there are Archies comics strewn around the place (:-o), the decor is happy and bright, and the two good-looking owners will serve you themselves, taking great pains to make sure you’re happy with your meal. Chef Ravi is definitely getting this right. Between Breads is directly opposite Hawain Shack off Pali Naka—you canNOT miss this!

And last but not the least, my marad J Llewelyn Dmello aka Lee is now the Programming Head of 104.8 Oye FM, the radio station by the India Today group. If you’re a Bollywood junkie, or love Hindi music from any era, tune in. I’ve been bowled over by their collection of music way before he joined (I promise!), because out of the blue, they will play some song from your childhood or adolescence that will throw you into nostalgia mode. It may take you an extra minute to tune your car radio to this frequency, but it’s worth it. And when you hear a fun, sexy voice on the spots or ads, you’ll know who eet ees!

You guys make me proud, make me teary with joy and inspire me, all at the same time. How lucky am I!

PS: First time I'm linking pages to my blog - hope it works. Yes, technotards are me.